Opening for the Pine Hill Haints, Those Darlins will make their Huntsville debut tonight at Crossroads, 115 Clinton Ave. The show starts at 10 p.m. Tickets are $7.

Formed in 2006, Those Darlins are heavily influenced by Patti Smith, the Clash and the Ramones as well as old-time country acts such as Hank Williams and Patsy Cline.

Nikki's always wanted to rock. She remembers seeing videos of the Rolling Stones when she was young and deciding on a future.

"That's what I want to do," Nikki recalled. "I want to be a rock star one day."

Nikki met the other darlings of Those Darlins while teaching at a Girls Rock 'n' Roll Camp in Tennessee. They began jamming together on Nikki's front porch, drinking beer and covering Carter Family tunes.

"We didn't have any intention on playing out," Nikki said.

But they did, and the band's been playing out ever since, rocking hillbilly bars across the country. One of its favorite spots is Circleville, Ohio, Nikki said. Located south of Columbus and home to the world's largest pumpkin, Circleville treated Those Darlins to one of the best shows they've ever played.

"They were really, really sweet to us," Nikki said.

Last year, the band accompanied Dan Auerbach (the Black Keys) on a nationwide 10-city jaunt, capping the trip in Austin, Texas, at the South by Southwest, or SXSW, music festival. Billboard magazine's Bill Werde dubbed Those Darlins the "Best Band I Didn't Really Know Before I Got to SXSW," and went on to describe them as "Patsy Cline for the punk era."